Colombia is chilling in the early hours of 2023. The promise of “total peace” made by Gustavo Petro when he took over the presidency at the beginning of August experienced its first concrete approach to reality on January 1. “We agreed on a dual termination The ELN may be extended from 1 January to 30 June 2023 with Segunda Marquetalia, the Central Joint Chiefs of Staff, AGC and the Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces, depending on the progress in the negotiations.” path to the remaining ex-FARC groups and two far-right paramilitary formations linked to drug trafficking: the Clan del Golfo and the Self-defense groups of the Sierra Nevada.
“It’s a brave move. A bilateral ceasefire obliges armed organizations and the state to respect it. It will be a national and international verification mechanism,” he said. The left government wants to extend it until the goals that a large part of the country aspired are achieved.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, welcomed Petro’s statement and underlined the effort made to reduce violence in the regions most affected by the armed actions.
reflections
“We are faced with an extraordinary event.Camilo González Posso, from the Institute for Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ), commented, “The step taken by Palacio Nariño will affect 350 Colombian municipalities in which about 80 fronts or branches of these groups operate. “The important thing is that there are also multilateral ceasefires, well Conflicts between these organizations have been colliding with each other”.
For Alejo Vargas, head of the Security and Defense Research Group at the National University of Colombia, it’s “a proposal.” very brave‘ and now ‘we must wait for the answer of these groups that have a special war with each other’.
León Valencia, director of the Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation (Pares), also appreciated Petro’s announcement. “If a country wakes up to a new year with a peace process with so many different organizations, it makes an impactsaid and underlined. high support It is within reach of total peace that exists in Colombian society. “There is no opposition that opposes and criticizes the negotiations (with the FARC) as there was under (Juan Manuel) Santos. There is an atmosphere in which these new agreements are privately accepted.” Valencia pointed out that, given the panorama that has opened with the reported measure, the Government must guarantee safety to those who have suffered first-hand violence in these parts of the country. He emphasized that the ceasefire should not only be between public forces and armed structures. Colombians should be the main beneficiaries of these understandings.